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Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne tells court she was aware of meeting with candidate

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne testified in a Sudbury, Ont., court Wednesday that in December 2014 she knew one of her top advisers and a party fundraiser were meeting with Andrew Olivier to see how to keep him in "the Liberal family."

Andrew Olivier 'hadn't been a great candidate, but we wanted to keep him involved,' Wynne says

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne waves to reporters as she heads to court to testify at the trial of two Liberals accused of bribery in the 2015 Sudbury byelection. (Yvon Theriault/Radio-Canada)

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne testified in a Sudbury, Ont., court Wednesday that in December 2014 she knew one of her top advisers and a party fundraiser were meeting with Andrew Olivier to see how to keep him in "the Liberal family."

She appeared on Day 5 of the trial of two high-ranking Liberals charged with bribing potential candidates ahead of 2015 byelection.

They are accused of offering a job to would-be candidate Olivier to withdraw his Liberal candidacy in a 2015 byelection. Party brass wanted Olivier to make room for Glenn Thibeault, who defected from the federal NDP, won the byelection for the Liberals, and is now the province's energy minister.

Sorbara is charged with a second count of bribery, accused of offering Thibeault incentives to become a candidate.

​Olivier was the Liberal candidate in the 2014 election, losing by just over 1,000 votes to NDP candidate Joe Cimino.

Cimino resigned shortly after the win, citing personal reasons, which prompted the byelection.

Recorded conversations

Conversations with Sorbara and Lougheed — recorded by Olivier — were publicly released three years ago and form the basis of the bribery charges for which Lougheed and Sorbara are on trial now.

Olivier, a quadriplegic, records his phone calls to assist with note-taking.

Wynne also spoke with Olivier, although that chat was not recorded.

"He hadn't been a great candidate, but we wanted to keep him involved," Wynne said, recalling how Olivier's comments during the 2014 election campaign that Catholic school boards should merge with public ones was "antithetical" to party policy.

"There were many ways to be involved in the Liberal family," Wynne said, but all of those jobs and positions would still involve Olivier going through an application process of some sort.

Awkward, circular conversation

Wynne described the Dec. 11, 2014, phone call with Olivier as "circular" and "awkward" and said "he was not forthcoming."

Four days later, Olivier held a news conference revealing that he was being pushed aside for a star Liberal candidate.

Wynne told the court that Thibeault was one of several potential Sudbury candidates for the byelection.

She testified she "didn't know anything about" Thibeault when she heard he might defect, but thought it was an "intriguing" idea to have Sudbury's New Democrat MP jump ship to her party.